Author: Kenny Casanova

Planning an Island theme party? Come Sail Away with Me! Here are some song selections I was thinking…

ISLAND THEME COCKTAIL HOUR MUSIC LIST

The Tide Is High – Blondie
Toes, Island Song — Zac Brown Band
Escape (Pina Colada Song) – Rupert Homes
Pontoon – Little Big Town
Bad Day At the Beach — Jim Hoehn
Margaritaville, A Pirate Looks At, Havana Daydreamin, Trying to Reason With Hurricane Season, Volcano, Sunshine In the Music , Knees Of My Heart, Tin Cup Chalice — Jimmy Buffett
Coconut Telegraph — Jimmy Buffett

I’m Yours – Jason Mraz
Somewhere over the Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems — Kenny Chesney
When the Sun Goes Down — Kenny Chesney, Uncle Kracker
Soak Up the Sun – Sheryl Crow
Follow Me — Uncle Kracker
Here I Am (Come and Take Me) – UB40
Higher Ground – UB40
Cinnamon Bay — Gene Mitchell
Tropical Island — Adam Green
Kokomo — Adam Green, Ben Kweller
Kokomo – The Beach Boys
(Put The Lime In The) Coconut — The Hit Crew
Girl From Ipanema — Getz/Gilberto
Broken, Good People, Banana Pancakes – Jack Johnson
Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
Buffalo Soldier, Redemption Song, Is This Love, One Love, No Woman No Cry, Get up Stand Up, etc… – Bob Marley
Diamonds on the Soles of Her Feet – Paul Simon
Dodo – dave matthews
Dreamgirl – Dave Matthews Band
Flake – Jack Johnson
Girls In Their Summer Clothes – Bruce Springsteen
Good Situation -UB40
Graceland – Paul Simon
I Can See Clearly Now – Jimmy Cliff
Into The Mystic – Van Morrison
Keep On Movin’ – Bob Marley & The Wailers
Leaving on a Jet Plane – Peter, Paul and Mary
Me and Julio Down By the School Yard – Paul Simon
Missing Pieces – O.A.R.
No Woman, No Cry — Club Trini (vocals: Jimmy Buffett)
Rude – Magic!
Reggae Vibes – Shaggy
(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay – Dennis Brown
Sundown – Gordon Lightfoot
Three Little Birds – Bob Marley
Tomorrow People – Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers
Wild World – Maxi Priest
You Can Get It If You Really Want – Jimmy Cliff
Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong – Spin Doctors
Sunday Morning and Beautiful Goodbye – Maroon Five
The sound of sunshine – Michael Franti & Spearhead
Bill Withers – Lovely Day
Down Under – Men At Work
Hey Hey Hey – Michael Franti & Spearhead
What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
Don’t worry, Be happy – Bobby Mcferrin

If you like this list, visit our Beach Song List and our Beach Theme Party Planning Blog here.

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A FEW THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN PLANNING YOUR WEDDING

If you are ahead of the game, you already started planning in the fall. If not because you hiberating during the coldness of this winter, here are just a few things to think about upon the arrival of the wedding planning season crunch…

VENUES – When booking a hall/caterer, the most expensive part of your wedding can be scary. There are ways to save. Some halls like The Museum of Dance in Saratoga and Pruyn House of Latham allow you to select your own caterer. If you can book anyone, you can find deals, think outside the box, and even DIY bartender and save a ton!

INCLUDE YOUR DJ IN TIMING OF EVENTS – A good DJ who has done a bunch of weddings knows when things should happen. Another thing to think about when planning with venues/caterers is they really know food, but they don’t always include what is best for entertainment reasons into their agenda.

Case in point… THE CAKE. Sometimes the event organizer provided by the hall may push for the wedding cake to be cut and served immediately after dinner, this way they can “get it out of the way.”  However,  I have seen this be a disaster with some groups. The moment after the cake is cut, people bail and the hall is then empty for two more hours. The cake is a point of exit for many. Golden tips like this are often easily tapped when your DJ is consulted. Just ask!

PLAN EARLY – Make sure and give yourself at least 6 months ahead of time to book your entertainment and up to a year ahead for your venue.

HOT THIS YEAR – Last year was the photo booth. This year, wedding pops are predicted to be the new THING for this wedding season.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN PLANNING YOUR WEDDING LAYOUT

DJ Kenny Casanova gives you some things to think about with your wedding floor plan in this video blog. Touching upon the elderly, DJ placement, and how to get the best music quality from your DJ, if you are creating your wedding reception floor plan right now this is certainly worth under 3 minutes of your time.

You will not only hear some nifty ideas that will save you from having problems, but also get some ideas on what to think about when on offering the most you can from your entertainment through correct placement.

For more on this topic, check out our article at: WHERE TO PUT YOUR WEDDING DJ ON FLOOR PLAN

Thanks and enjoy!

Hockey Theme Wedding DJ 

I’ve actually done a few Hockey Theme Weddings recently and have pictures to share with you below, in case you are thinking about the same type of thing for your special day.

Michelle & Tim got married in Latham on March 29, 2014 and we had the pleasure of providing our services for this happy day. The couple had their ceremony and reception at The Holiday Inn Banquet Hall in Latham, NY.

Since the happy couple met at a Rangers game, it only made sense to make the wedding theme match their passion: HOCKEY !!!

They followed the original theme great! They had ice statues, hockey puck place cards, red and blue uplights to match their team’s color, and more! There was a hockey jersey used as a guest book, for all guests to sign when they came in. They used the Rangers Goal Theme song for their entrance song. The had hockey sticks all over the walls, as well as banners and uniform pieces as decorations. They had a hockey theme slideshow and video presentation. And the centerpieces were hockey, too!

Great time had by all!

Hockey Theme Wedding DJ Pictures (Latham, NY) Below

Pictures from another hockey theme wedding (Altamont, NY) below

I also did another pretty cool Hockey Theme Wedding in the summer of 2015. This bride and groom also loved Hockey and went with a hocky theme for their special day. They had a Hockey Jersey Guest book, a hockey place cards seating chart, and a really cool hockey theme centerpiece. Here are some pictures:

As I always say to my clients, if you have the guts to go with a wedding theme, then it really makes the night better. As you can see, both weddings above did just that. I hope the pictures help you with your planning!

Orchard Creek Golf Club Wedding Hall

Here is a quick look at a recent beach theme party we provided DJ services to at Orchard Creek Golf Club, Altamont, NY. Maybe this video upload can help you get an idea of the feel of the place…

It is also a great place to have a wedding!  Here is the contact info for booking from our Top 50 Wedding Venue List in The Capital District:

Orchard Creek Golf
6700 Dunnsville Road – Altamont, NY
(518) 861-5000
Website   –    Menu   –   Directions  –   Pictures   –   Email

A great time was had by all at Aleigh’s Sweet 16 – at The Elks Club of South Allen St in Albany, NY! We did some edits to enhance some pictures below.

HOW TO SAVE THE BIRTHDAY PARTY PICTURES…

SAVE ON COMPUTER – Click on picture to enlarge. Right click and select “SAVE AS” to save to your computer’s hard drive.

SAVE ON IPHONE & IPAD – Click on a picture to view. you can scroll through the images using the left and right arrows. If you see a picture you like, put your thumb on the image and hold it there a few seconds. When you see an arrow appear above it, swipe upwards and you will receive the option to save the photo to your device.